When people think about the most physical safeties in NFL history, Steve Atwater is one of the first names that comes to mind.
But Atwater was more than a player who could deliver a devastating hit.
For a decade in Denver, he became one of the defining safeties of the 1990s, combining unusual size, physicality and instincts with the ability to make an impact against both the run and the pass.
And he helped finish his Broncos career with something Denver had spent years chasing.
Championships.
Built Differently at Safety
Atwater entered the NFL when the Denver Broncos selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
At around 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Atwater brought linebacker-like size to the safety position.
He played like it too.
Atwater could attack downhill against the run, meet running backs near the line of scrimmage and punish receivers coming across the middle of the field.
But calling him simply a hard hitter doesn’t tell the entire story.
Atwater possessed the instincts and coverage ability necessary to become one of the best safeties of his generation. He could play deep, defend the run and give Denver a physical presence in the secondary that opposing offenses always had to account for.
That combination quickly made him one of the centerpieces of Denver’s defense.
One of the Best Safeties of the 1990s
Atwater didn’t take long to establish himself.
By his second NFL season, he had earned his first Pro Bowl selection and his first First-Team All-Pro honor.
And he stayed among the league’s premier safeties for years.
From 1990 through 1996, Atwater made seven consecutive Pro Bowls. He eventually finished his career with eight Pro Bowl selections and two First-Team All-Pro honors.
That sustained excellence earned him a spot on the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team.
Atwater wasn’t somebody who flashed for a couple of seasons and disappeared.
For most of a decade, he was one of the standards at the position.
More Than a Big Hitter
Atwater’s physicality was a huge part of his game, but focusing entirely on that can actually undersell him.
Atwater finished his career with 24 interceptions, showing that he could make plays on the football as well.
He wasn’t putting up the interception totals of some of the safeties who will appear later on this list, but that wasn’t the only way he affected games.
Atwater could defend the run, cover the back end of the defense and bring a level of physicality that changed what happened over the middle of the field.
Receivers knew where he was.
Running backs knew where he was.
And if they didn’t, they usually found out quickly.
Finally Getting Denver Over the Hump
For years, the Broncos were good enough to reach the Super Bowl but couldn’t finish the job.
Denver lost three Super Bowls during John Elway’s early years, including Super Bowl XXIV following Atwater’s rookie season.
Nearly a decade later, the Broncos finally returned.
This time, they finished the job.
Denver faced Brett Favre and the defending champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, and Atwater delivered one of the biggest performances of his career on the biggest stage.
He recorded six solo tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two passes defended as Denver defeated Green Bay 31–24 to win the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
After years of falling short, Denver was finally champion.
And Atwater had played a major role in getting them there.
Back-to-Back Champions
Denver wasn’t finished.
The Broncos returned the following season and defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, giving Atwater his second consecutive championship.
It was also his final game as a Bronco.
There aren’t many better ways to finish a decade with a franchise.
Atwater had arrived in Denver in 1989 and spent ten seasons helping anchor its defense. By the time he left, he had made eight Pro Bowls, become one of the most recognizable defensive players of his generation and helped the Broncos win consecutive Super Bowls.
He played one final season with the New York Jets in 1999 before retiring.
A Hall of Fame Legacy
Atwater’s final résumé includes:
2× Super Bowl Champion
8× Pro Bowl Selection
2× First-Team All-Pro
NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
24 Career Interceptions
More than 1,000 Career Tackles
Pro Football Hall of Famer
Atwater was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020.
His career wasn’t defined by gaudy interception numbers.
It was defined by impact.
Atwater could cover. He could defend the run. He could help anchor a championship defense.
And if you came into his part of the field, you better know where No. 27 was.
There are four safeties I have ahead of him.
But Steve Atwater earns the first spot on my list.
Steve Atwater is #5 on the Ethical Sports Takes Top 5 Safeties of All Time.
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